Business Development

About the role

The posting lists El Segundo, CA. Identify and qualify prospects across mining, oil & gas, hydroelectric, and other large industrial sectors whose operations, production volumes, or capital planning are materially impacted by precipitation, reservoir levels, and basin water yield. Develop and manage a pipeline of industrial partnership opportunities from initial outreach through contract execution, tracking prospects across multiple verticals and geographies. Design and propose commercial deal structures including service contracts, outcome-based pricing tied to precipitation or basin yield, cost-sharing arrangements across co-located operators, and consortium funding models. Engage industrial operators, utilities, independent power producers, and large-scale water users as both customers and co-investors in precipitation enhancement programs.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Identify and qualify prospects across mining, oil & gas, hydroelectric, and other large industrial sectors whose operations, production volumes, or capital planning are materially impacted by precipitation, reservoir levels, and basin water yield.
• Develop and manage a pipeline of industrial partnership opportunities from initial outreach through contract execution, tracking prospects across multiple verticals and geographies.
• Design and propose commercial deal structures including service contracts, outcome-based pricing tied to precipitation or basin yield, cost-sharing arrangements across co-located operators, and consortium funding models.
• Engage industrial operators, utilities, independent power producers, and large-scale water users as both customers and co-investors in precipitation enhancement programs.
• Coordinate with Rainmaker's Government Affairs team to identify public-private partnership opportunities where industrial investment can complement state or federal watershed, reservoir, and water security funding.
• Build coalitions of industrial operators, utilities, water districts, and basin stakeholders who collectively benefit from increased precipitation - creating multi-party funding structures for seeding programs within shared watersheds.
• Pursue strategic partnerships with industry associations, trade groups, and ESG-focused stakeholders to raise awareness for Rainmaker and cloud seeding as a water security and sustainability tool for resource-intensive industries.
• Organize and facilitate site visits, demonstrations, and technical briefings for prospective industrial partners and investors at Rainmaker project sites.

Requirements

• + years of experience in commercial business development, sales, or partnership development serving mining, oil & gas, power generation, heavy industry, or large-scale industrial infrastructure customers.
• Demonstrated track record of sourcing, structuring, and closing complex B2B or B2G deals, ideally involving industrial operations, energy infrastructure, environmental services, or resource management.
• Strong understanding of how water and precipitation drive industrial operations - including reservoir management for hydropower, water-intensive extraction and processing, cooling and process water requirements, and the regulatory frameworks governing industrial water use.
• Familiarity with Western water economics, water rights, basin hydrology, drought dynamics, and the institutional landscape of water management (districts, conservancies, state engineers) is strongly preferred.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, cross-functional startup environment where you will need to operate both strategically and tactically.
• You need Bachelor's degree required.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 50% to industrial sites, operator headquarters, and conferences.

Nice to have

• Advanced degrees in business, economics, engineering, water resources, environmental science, or related fields are a plus.
• Familiarity with Western water economics, water rights, basin hydrology, drought dynamics, and the institutional landscape of water management.

Practical notes

Note: Identify and qualify prospects across mining, oil & gas, hydroelectric, and other large industrial sectors whose operations, production volumes, or capital planning are materially impacted by precipitation, reservoir levels, and basin water yield.

Develop and manage a pipeline of industrial partnership opportunities from initial outreach through contract execution, tracking prospects across multiple verticals and geographies.

Design and propose commercial deal structures including service contracts, outcome-based pricing tied to precipitation or basin yield, cost-sharing arrangements across co-located operators, and consortium funding models.